Archives for the ‘Blog Entries.Local’ Category

Saturday Pleasures

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • May 4th, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
Last Saturday began with more purge-related chores, this time focusing on the garage. Even though I've stuck to my vow made years ago that our cars would be parked in the garage, the space for them as gotten ever tighter. After several hours of work, we had made significant progress. I am happy to say we can easily walk around the vehicles now, and the cars' proximity sensors complain just a bit less when entering the space. 

After a run to the local Goodwill shop (not all the unneeded items are being disposed of) we stopped for a much anticipated lunch. We were looking forward to the advertised "Burger of the Week" at Harry's Alehouse. The tasty burger was topped with creamy Parmesan-garlic sauce, crispy onion rings, and bacon, all served on a potato roll. But the most exciting part was that our Marxist-leaning governor has "granted" permission for his subjects to dine while seated at a bar for the first time in over a year. 

An appetizer of fried pickles, the burger, and refreshing beverages, enjoyed at our favorite seats, all combined for an extremely pleasant afternoon. I went back to an old favorite, Bell's Two Hearted IPA for my libation.



Arriving home, we headed to the porch to listen to music and relax, where I enjoyed one of my favorite smokes. I've written about the Black Label Trading Company Bishops Blend a number of times in the past. I had smoked the last of my stash of the 2020 release, but I recently picked up the last of the remaining stock at my local shop, so I get to enjoy this one a few more times. And enjoy I did, right down to the still tasty nub.



At the end of the day, we had a welcome sense of accomplishment, and relief, at the progress made in our purge project. That joy was magnified by the sense of normality of enjoying some tasty beer and food, all free from arbitrary restrictions and senseless rules.


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Chores and Rewards

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • May 3rd, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
This past week we embarked on a long overdue "purge" of unneeded and unused items our house. After 21 years here, there was just too much "stuff' accumulated. We don't intend on moving anytime soon, but there are ongoing renovations to make room for. We rented a 20 yard dumpster and set about decluttering. 

Each afternoon or evening during the week, we spent time hauling items from the basement, the garage, and the storage area under the deck. It's a remarkably satisfying, if exhausting, process. Each day ended with aching muscles, and more than a few cuts and scrapes. The major lifting is complete, and the next few days will involve only tossing in some odds and ends before the container is hauled away. 



On Friday evening, after what seemed an extra long week, I headed over to 1781 Brewing for an Oliva Cigar event at the Olde Towne Tobacconist Lounge. There I took advantage of the promotion and picked up a box of one of my favorites, as evidenced here, the Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial Torpedo. 



I'm excited to smoke these, even if I did have to change the shelf layout in my small humidor to squeeze in the box. Among the freebies with my purchase, was this Oliva Serie G box-pressed torpedo. I opted to smoke it right away while I enjoyed a pint of 1781 Brewing Washington's Hare Porter. The cigar features a Camaroon wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler. Despite the ever increasing winds churning up, the box-pressed cigar burned well. The medium bodied sweetness of the cigar worked well with the porter. 

Despite the evening starting out around 70°, the wind and sudden rain shower quickly dropped the temperature to the low 50° range. Too cold for my short sleeved short, so I called it an early evening.


The clean up work continued through the weekend and beyond. However, there was still time made for more fun treats before the work week begins again. More to come on that soon.


[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Vaccine Freedom Day

Author: From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Apr 30th, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

michelle

Today we celebrated Vaccine Freedom Day. The actual day was April 28 - the day I was fully vaccinated. But that was a workday so we celebrated today, on a perfect 70 degree blue sky Virginia Spring day.

michelle

We are still wearing a mask when indoors or in a large group, because those are the rules. However, the mask is performative for us at this point. We aren't going to catch COVID, and we aren't going to give it to anybody either.

michelle

I was going to continue with a rant about anti-vaxxer assholes, but screw it. I have Guinness in the fridge and board games to play. Those assholes aren't worth the effort.

michelle


Vaccine Freedom Day

Author: From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Apr 30th, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

michelle

Today we celebrated Vaccine Freedom Day. The actual day was April 28 - the day I was fully vaccinated. But that was a workday so we celebrated today, on a perfect 70 degree blue sky Virginia Spring day.

michelle

We are still wearing a mask when indoors or in a large group, because those are the rules. However, the mask is performative for us at this point. We aren't going to catch COVID, and we aren't going to give it to anybody either.

michelle

I was going to continue with a rant about anti-vaxxer assholes, but screw it. I have Guinness in the fridge and board games to play. Those assholes aren't worth the effort.

michelle


Seasoned Turkey Skillet with Italian Oil Drizzle

Author: From https://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Apr 28th, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

It was close to dinner time, I was hungry and didn't want to take too much time preparing something. I did have some ground turkey thawed and decided to create my own recipe. This meal was so tasty, I had to share the recipe. Quick and easy.... and who doesn't like that? 

Ingredients:

- 2 Tbs Avocado Oil (or olive oil)
- 2 green onions, diced (divided)
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1/2 tsp. salt and any other of your favorite seasonings
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 cup chopped yellow squash or zucchini
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, diced
- Microwaveable bag of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice

Italian Oil Drizzle 

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning flakes
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt

Add all ingredients into a shaker bottle and shake until combine (or add to a bowl and whisk or stir until combined.)

Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the whites of the green onions to the skillet and saute' for about a minute. Add ground turkey and salt, and cook until browned. Add broccoli, squash, and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook/stir until vegetables are al dente (cooked but not overcooked and mushy). Lastly, add the diced "green part" of the onions to the skillet.

Microwave the rice. Spoon a little rice out onto a plate, top with ground turkey mixture and drizzle the Italian oil over the top! ENJOY!!!!

"Good food. Good mood." - Anonymous 



Seasoned Turkey Skillet with Italian Oil Drizzle

Author: From https://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Apr 28th, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

It was close to dinner time, I was hungry and didn't want to take too much time preparing something. I did have some ground turkey thawed and decided to create my own recipe. This meal was so tasty, I had to share the recipe. Quick and easy.... and who doesn't like that? 

Ingredients:

- 2 Tbs Avocado Oil (or olive oil)
- 2 green onions, diced (divided)
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1/2 tsp. salt and any other of your favorite seasonings
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 cup chopped yellow squash or zucchini
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, diced
- Microwaveable bag of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice

Italian Oil Drizzle 

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning flakes
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt

Add all ingredients into a shaker bottle and shake until combine (or add to a bowl and whisk or stir until combined.)

Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the whites of the green onions to the skillet and saute' for about a minute. Add ground turkey and salt, and cook until browned. Add broccoli, squash, and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook/stir until vegetables are al dente (cooked but not overcooked and mushy). Lastly, add the diced "green part" of the onions to the skillet.

Microwave the rice. Spoon a little rice out onto a plate, top with ground turkey mixture and drizzle the Italian oil over the top! ENJOY!!!!

"Good food. Good mood." - Anonymous 



Seasoned Turkey Skillet with Italian Oil Drizzle

Author: From https://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Apr 28th, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

It was close to dinner time, I was hungry and didn't want to take too much time preparing something. I did have some ground turkey thawed and decided to create my own recipe. This meal was so tasty, I had to share the recipe. Quick and easy.... and who doesn't like that? 

Ingredients:

- 2 Tbs Avocado Oil (or olive oil)
- 2 green onions, diced (divided)
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1/2 tsp. salt and any other of your favorite seasonings
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 cup chopped yellow squash or zucchini
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, diced
- Microwaveable bag of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice

Italian Oil Drizzle 

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning flakes
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt

Add all ingredients into a shaker bottle and shake until combine (or add to a bowl and whisk or stir until combined.)

Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the whites of the green onions to the skillet and saute' for about a minute. Add ground turkey and salt, and cook until browned. Add broccoli, squash, and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook/stir until vegetables are al dente (cooked but not overcooked and mushy). Lastly, add the diced "green part" of the onions to the skillet.

Microwave the rice. Spoon a little rice out onto a plate, top with ground turkey mixture and drizzle the Italian oil over the top! ENJOY!!!!

"Good food. Good mood." - Anonymous 



Pina Colada No-Bake Tropical Dream Dessert

Author: From https://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Apr 22nd, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

We had some special friends over for dinner this week and I wanted to make a dessert. Found an awesome banana pudding dessert online, but as with all the recipes I see, I find a way to tweak it to make it even better! ;) Our company was not disappointed, and I was happy to send them home with the leftovers. Let them gain weight... not us! ha! 

Ingredients:

- 1 package Golden Oreos (36 cookies)
- 1 stick of butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces cool whip topping, divided
- 1, 3.4 ounce, box instant banana pudding mix
- 1 cup milk 
- 1/2 of a dram of LorAnn Pina Colada flavoring oil (a dram is 3.7 ml)
(No flavoring oil? No problem... just leave it out. Still a deeeelicious banana dessert!)

*Note: The picture showing only a piece of the dessert plated is not mine. I did not want to cut into mine until our company came over, so I found this picture online.

In a food processor, add the Oreos and butter and pulse until combined and crumbly. (Reserve about 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top for a finishing touch). Press Oreo crumb mixture in an 11x7 baking dish. Chill 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add 1 cup of the cool whip and combine. Spread over the Oreo crust. Whisk pudding and milk until pudding begins to thicken. Add a little of the Pina Colada flavoring oil. Combine. Pour mixture over crust. Add the rest of the cool whip on top, and sprinkle with remaining Oreo crumbs. Chill for one or more hours. Enjoy and good luck just having one piece. 

"Let whatever you do today be enough." - Anonymous





Pina Colada No-Bake Tropical Dream Dessert

Author: From https://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Apr 22nd, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

We had some special friends over for dinner this week and I wanted to make a dessert. Found an awesome banana pudding dessert online, but as with all the recipes I see, I find a way to tweak it to make it even better! ;) Our company was not disappointed, and I was happy to send them home with the leftovers. Let them gain weight... not us! ha! 

Ingredients:

- 1 package Golden Oreos (36 cookies)
- 1 stick of butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces cool whip topping, divided
- 1, 3.4 ounce, box instant banana pudding mix
- 1 cup milk 
- 1/2 of a dram of LorAnn Pina Colada flavoring oil (a dram is 3.7 ml)
(No flavoring oil? No problem... just leave it out. Still a deeeelicious banana dessert!)

*Note: The picture showing only a piece of the dessert plated is not mine. I did not want to cut into mine until our company came over, so I found this picture online.

In a food processor, add the Oreos and butter and pulse until combined and crumbly. (Reserve about 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top for a finishing touch). Press Oreo crumb mixture in an 11x7 baking dish. Chill 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add 1 cup of the cool whip and combine. Spread over the Oreo crust. Whisk pudding and milk until pudding begins to thicken. Add a little of the Pina Colada flavoring oil. Combine. Pour mixture over crust. Add the rest of the cool whip on top, and sprinkle with remaining Oreo crumbs. Chill for one or more hours. Enjoy and good luck just having one piece. 

"Let whatever you do today be enough." - Anonymous





Pina Colada No-Bake Tropical Dream Dessert

Author: From https://www.pointsinmylife.com/ • Apr 22nd, 2021
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

We had some special friends over for dinner this week and I wanted to make a dessert. Found an awesome banana pudding dessert online, but as with all the recipes I see, I find a way to tweak it to make it even better! ;) Our company was not disappointed, and I was happy to send them home with the leftovers. Let them gain weight... not us! ha! 

Ingredients:

- 1 package Golden Oreos (36 cookies)
- 1 stick of butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces cool whip topping, divided
- 1, 3.4 ounce, box instant banana pudding mix
- 1 cup milk 
- 1/2 of a dram of LorAnn Pina Colada flavoring oil (a dram is 3.7 ml)
(No flavoring oil? No problem... just leave it out. Still a deeeelicious banana dessert!)

*Note: The picture showing only a piece of the dessert plated is not mine. I did not want to cut into mine until our company came over, so I found this picture online.

In a food processor, add the Oreos and butter and pulse until combined and crumbly. (Reserve about 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top for a finishing touch). Press Oreo crumb mixture in an 11x7 baking dish. Chill 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add 1 cup of the cool whip and combine. Spread over the Oreo crust. Whisk pudding and milk until pudding begins to thicken. Add a little of the Pina Colada flavoring oil. Combine. Pour mixture over crust. Add the rest of the cool whip on top, and sprinkle with remaining Oreo crumbs. Chill for one or more hours. Enjoy and good luck just having one piece. 

"Let whatever you do today be enough." - Anonymous





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